Dorman 65241 Transmission Oil Drain Plug Piggyback 1/2-20 Universal Fit

Worked well

It's a drain plug, I've installed a handful of similar ones but this design isn't great. The drain plug bolt itself seals with an oring that does not have a boss to contain it. If you undertighten it, it leaks. If you overtighten it, the o-ring bunches up and it leaks. Replace that oring with a nylon washer and it will seal just fine. They should just include that from the beginning. The main body seals with nylon washers, they should seal the bolt with the same strategy. I would buy a different item next time.

If you have ever changed your transmission fluid / filter you know that for some unknown but obviously sadistic reason, the vast majority of car manufactures do not have a drain plug in the transmission pan like they do for the engine. So no matter how careful you are, when you separate that transmission pan from the seal the gasket has created, you get a sloppy mess with transmission fluid spilling out multiple sides of the pan top and unless you're doing this with a large enough catch pan up close to the transmission pan, you always get a mess. Well this was my first transmission service on my current truck but I plan on keeping it for a whle so I figured it would be my first and last mess! I looked around and goofed on one trans pan with an installed drain plug as well as everything else running around $300 for their "aftermarket" pans. I'm not afraid to spend money on my truck but I could not see that yet so I figured I'd pay $6.81 for this drain plug kit and give it a try. No you're going to also need some RTV sealant (just to be sure) of no leaks because we are talking about $2,000 for a new transmission so call it a total cost of around $12 for both. The biggest thing to remember is internal clearance. If you make sure the internal nut is snug and then measure from the bottom of that nut to the top of the drain spout and you get a measurement of about 3/4 of an inch height for the plug. Then look at the bottom of your transmission and see if you have a good choice for a location where there is some room and using something straight like a metal ruler, take a depth measurement by measuring from the flat surface where you bolt the transmission pan down to that float metal ruler and record the measurement. Now get a good reference point for that same location in the transmission pan and measure the depth of the pan and record that measurement. Now you do a little simple math and subtract the first measurement (protrusion depth of the transmission) from the depth of the transmission pan at the same location. If you still have at 3/4inch or more of space left over, the plug should fit with no problems. If you do not, “shop around” for another location and repeat the measurements until you find a location with enough space. Once you’ve found your sweet spot, mark it on the transmission pan and drill your 1/2inch diameter hole in it. Remember that you’re drilling through the equivalent of sheet metal so once the bit starts to go through, it is highly likely that your bit is going to catch and try to break your wrist so be careful. Now use a metal file to smooth the area and remove all burrs and then set the pan on a flat metal surface and use a hammer to lightly “beat” around the hole to make sure it is level as the drill bit may have slightly bent the pan. Now take the securing nut and both plastic washers off. If you’re going to use RTV like I did then put a small bead on the metal of the drain plug, lay the first plastic washer on that and then lay another thin bead of RTV on top of that plastic washer and insert it through the transmission pan. Now repeat the RTV process on the inside surface on the pan and then the second plastic washer. Now screw on the securing nut and finger tighten it following the RTC instructions with a drying period before you tighten it down for the final time. There is no torque listed for the plug but think of it like a spark plug, you want it tight but you don’t want to completely crush the plastic washers and squeeze out all of the RTV you just laid down to seal it. If you can let it cure for the full time listed on the RTV and then you’re good to go with a transmission pan that does not create a mess. This was a pretty easy install and I’ll still be looking but after I put everything back together and drove the truck about 10 miles, everything is still clean with no leaks. I highly recommend this product.

not bad for the price

You can drill a hole in your pan while it's still attached to drain the fluid the first time. Give it plenty of time, remove your pan and finish the job, works great'

I used this for a transmission pan.After reading many stories of leaking aftermarket drain plugs, I used some  Permatex 51817 Anaerobic Gasket Maker  on the threads and plastic washers and some  Permatex 82180 Ultra Black RTV  on the drain plug o-ring as a sealer.This one is nice since it has 2 nylon washers to help with sealing.No leaks so far, but has only been a week, will update if it starts to leak.Update: 2 months later and 1 drain of the transmission and still no leaks.

It worked, but replace the drain gasket before you install. I had a bit of a leak until I replaced it (by guessing and buying a bunch of O-rings at the hardware store) make sure you buy a ring that is resistant to oil.Other than that, it works like it should.

Not happy with it. Seemed great when I installed only to find out that It leaked and I could not stop the leak without using The Right Stuff atv gasket maker. This will get me by until next time but it will have to be replaced as it just does not stop the fluid from leaking no matter what I do.